Paint The Town Purple is a great way to spread the
word about Relay For Life, recruit new Survivors and
Caregivers to your event, engage new and returning
Teams and Team Members, and encourage your
Sponsors to get more involved in Relay For Life!
Paint It Purple
Guidebook
American Cancer Society
Midwest Division
relayforlife.org
Paint It Purple Guidebook
Table of Contents
TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................................................................................ 1 WHAT IS PAINT IT PURPLE? ................................................................................................................................. 2 COMPONENTS OF A GOOD PAINT IT PURPLE EVENT ..................................................................................... 3 HOW TO GET STARTED ......................................................................................................................................... 4 SUGGESTED MATERIALS LIST ............................................................................................................................. 5 IDEAS THAT WILL GET RELAY NOTICED ............................................................................................................ 6 GETTING BUSINESSES INVOLVED ....................................................................................................................... 6 PAINT IT PURPLE IDEAS ........................................................................................................................................ 7 PAINT YOUR HOME PURPLE ............................................................................................................................................... 7 PAINT THE TOWN/CAMPUS ................................................................................................................................................. 7 PAINT THE OFFICE .............................................................................................................................................................. 9 PAINT THE RESTAURANT .................................................................................................................................................... 9 PAINT THE HOSPITAL .......................................................................................................................................................... 9 PAINT THE SCHOOL ........................................................................................................................................................... 10 Ideas for Students: .................................................................................................................................................... 10 Ideas for School Administration: .............................................................................................................................. 10 PAINT YOUR ONLINE SOCIAL NETWORKS PURPLE .......................................................................................................... 10 APPENDIX ................................................................................................................................................................ 11 IDEA & FOLLOW UP TRACKING FORM .............................................................................................................................. 11 SAMPLE PRESS RELEASE – PAINT THE TOWN PURPLE .................................................................................................. 12 SAMPLE PRESS RELEASE – PAINT THE CAMPUS PURPLE .............................................................................................. 13 PAINT THE CAMPUS PURPLE SAMPLE FLYER .................................................................................................................. 14 SAMPLE BOW FLYER ......................................................................................................................................................... 14 SAMPLE PLACEMATS ........................................................................................................................................................ 15 OTHER PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS .................................................................................................................................. 15 Special Thanks:
• Colleen Carter – MW Division
• Brea Atkinson – MW Division
• Brittany Lee – MW Division
• Jen Brady – California Division
• MW RFL Business Unit
• MW CR Staff
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What is Paint It Purple?
Paint It Purple is a chance to raise awareness of the American Cancer Society and Relay
For Life in your community!
Paint It Purple is a promotional and awareness event
to further engage your community in the local Relay
For Life. This can be a targeted event, specific to a
town, or even an entire county. The event should be
designed to draw interest in the Relay and should be
planned in advance of the Relay event to get
attention and draw attention early in the planning
season.
Paint It Purple can be a specific day with a specific
event planned (perhaps a pep rally in a central
location) or can be a week of awareness, with lots of
posters being hung, purple ribbons, and a large email campaign and community fundraising.
Paint It Purple should be used to engage both the
committee and current teams in getting the entire
community involved in supporting the Relay For Life.
We want you to paint your town, workplace, campus,
school, restaurant purple in celebration of Relay For
Life and inspire others to follow!
It’s easy and fun! This guidebook will help you come
up with ideas and get you started seeing purple in
your community!
…according to color theory, a child’s
imagination develops more strongly in
a purple-painted room?
…Leonardo da Vinci believed the
power of meditation increases ten
times when done in purple light?
…opera composer, Richard Wagner,
considered violet to be the color of his
inspiration?
… purple is a color often well liked by
very creative or eccentric types.
…the color purple affects us mentally
and physically
and is often called uplifting,
encourages creativity, calms the mind
and nerves, and offers a sense of
spirituality?
…the color purple represents every
type of cancer which is why it is the
color of Relay For Life?
Ideas for Places to Paint Purple
• Paint Your Town
• Paint Your Main Street
• Paint Your Office
• Paint Your Campus
• Paint Your School
• Paint Your Hospital
• Paint Your Restaurants
• Paint Your Churches
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Components of A Good Paint It Purple Event
Set Goals
How do you know you are successful unless you set goals for the Paint It Purple
initiative? Ask yourself and your committee:
• What do you want to accomplish?
• How many teams do we want to recruit?
• How many new people do want to engage?
• How much do we want to raise?
• What can we do differently to get the community excited?
• Who do we need to help us be successful?
Try Something Different
Something different doesn’t mean it has to be big. The idea is to tell your community,
office, campus, etc. that Relay is back this year and has lots of NEW and EXCITING things
that you cannot miss!
Don’t Forget To Fundraise
Fundraising during Paint It Purple is a great way to kickoff fundraising efforts and
enhance the promotion for your event! Efforts as simple as getting people to sell Suns
& Moons or Relay Feet or having businesses or restaurants donate a portion of proceeds
for a day during Paint It Purple is a great start. No effort is too small to show people
how lots of little things can add up into one big amount!
Educate
Use Paint It Purple as a way to empower people to Fight Back against cancer. Hold a
Fight Back Rally in your town square or hand out cards with your Relay For Life
information that include one nutrition fact that can make a difference!
Recruit & Follow Up
Paint It Purple will get people to pay attention – and hopefully want to get involved!
Be sure to capture the names and contact information of as many people as you can
and follow up with them to keep them excited. Survivors, caregivers, potential team
captains or team members, sponsors and other community movers and shakers – all are
people that can help grow your Relay! Have a plan to reach these people and also to
follow up and put their excitement into commitment!
Have Fun
Remember, your committee and volunteers are giving of their time – it doesn’t always have to
be business does it? Paint It Purple is a great way to build your committee’s ability to work
together! If you work well on Paint It Purple, imagine what you can do together to have an
even more successful Relay For Life event!
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How To Get Started
Step 1: Brainstorm How You Will Paint It Purple!
• See the back of this guidebook for sample ideas for different communities!
• Is there a way to add a FUNdraising component? Work with local businesses to have
purple “date night” with a portion of all interested businesses donating to Relay. Sell
ribbons to tie in trees on Main St. for $10. Have special purple luminaria available at
businesses to be lit during a pep rally. Sun and moon/footprint cards!
• No idea is out of line…the idea is that you want to do everything you can to spread the
word about The American Cancer Society Relay For Life
• Assign your committee members to follow up
Step 2: Set the Date(s) & Set Goals
• Ask yourself why you want to Paint It Purple…to spread the word? Recruit more teams?
Recruit more participants? Raise more money? All of the above? Set goals for what you
want to accomplish that week!
• Focusing your efforts on one specific day or one week for the biggest impact. When
people wake up to see their world has turned purple, they will take notice!
Step 3: Talk, Talk, Talk
• Get everybody involved! Work with your committee members to divide and conquer the
responsibilities for this mini-event. Each committee member can take charge of a certain
aspect (ideas include - team recruitment/mentorship: be sure teams have info so they can
also spread the word, sponsorship: offer a Paint It Purple sponsor level or involvement to
current sponsors, entertainment: plan a 2 hour rally with exciting Relay games in the
town square or downtown, survivorship: invite all survivors to wear their purple survivor
shirts that day)
• Spread the word about what you want people to do and what day you want them to do
it
• Flyers, press releases, and various materials are available to help you promote your
efforts
• Don’t forget to promote Paint It Purple at your committee meetings, team captain
meetings, and on your Relay Online website!
Step 4: Follow up!
• Be sure to follow up with any interested parties within 1 week of the event.
• Consider having a team captains’ meeting or second community kickoff in the weeks
following to have an immediate action plan from interested parties.
• Thank volunteers and those that took part in making your Paint It Purple event amazing!
Step 5: Show Us Your Hope!
• Take pictures or video and share them on your event’s Relay Online website
• Share your stories of how you Painted It Purple by sending your successes to
[email protected]!
• Don’t Forget to Do it again! Consider it a part of your annual Relay planning to host an
event like this. People will come to expect it, and it will become an event that people
look forward to each year!
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Suggested Materials List
No matter what kind of activity you host, make it PURPLE! You can stock up on purple table
cloths and balloons, candles, or items with stars and moons at many discount or party supply
stores. If you want to use items with the Relay For Life logo, check your event’s stash or ask your
American Cancer Society Relay For Life Staff Partner about these fun items:
Products that are available that make noise or show Relay spirit
Thundersticks - light up
Icebox
Purple Cowbells
Peter Kline
Star Blinkie Buttons
Turnkey
Balloons with RFL logo
Peter Kline
Star Rally Signs
James Wesley
Products that are available that are purple or branded as Relay For Life
Relay Stage Wrap
ACS warehouse
Purple Table Cloths
Target/Party Stores
Polka Dot Table Cloths
Turnkey
Purple Glow Sticks
SureGlow
Relay For Life banners
ACS warehouse
Ask Me About Relay Buttons
ACS warehouse
I Dress In Support Of Stickers
ACS warehouse
Purple Bows
Ribbon from Florists or Craft Supply
Suns & Moons
ACS warehouse
Relay Feet
ACS warehouse
ACS Yard Signs
ACS warehouse
Luminaria Supplies
Luminaria Bags
Votive Candles
Promotional Materials
Sample News Releases*
Posters & Flyers*
Tear Off Posters
Purple Bow Flyers*
Tray Liners*
ACS warehouse
ACS warehouse
(also available through ACS warehouse)
ACS warehouse
*available electronically at www.mwrfl.org and click on Paint It Purple
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Ideas That Will Get Relay Noticed
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
A leading online grocer donated their billboard space to promote May Day on May 1.
The 165-foot-tall billboard was prominently located just north of the highway and visible
for two miles.
A local morning show featured a segment about Paint It Purple and Relay For Life. The
show anchors wore purple and displayed the Relay purple drinking mugs.
One Relay For Life committee held a luminaria display at a gazebo park on the main
street. Music, purple balloons, banners were part of the celebration.
A local ABC affiliate featured a segment during its 11:00 PM newscast last evening on
May Day For Relay which featured a landmark illuminated purple in celebration of the
official kick-off to the American Cancer Society's Relay For Life season.
One community created a snapshot demonstration of Relay For Life from 6 - 8 pm at
the local mall. The event included the
Ceremony of Hope, music, entertainment,
and plenty of purple decorations.
Communities decorated their Main Streets
in purple ribbons with the names of
survivors.
Work with your local newspaper to use
purple ink for a day/week or turn their
website purple!
Invite a local artist to create a mural on a
business downtown that represents Relay
For Life!
Getting Businesses Involved
•
•
•
•
•
•
Send an email out to businesses in town announcing your initiative or event. Ask them
to get involved by hanging a flyer or poster in their window
Encourage businesses with storefronts to decorate their storefront purple during a
specific day or week and hold a contest where people can vote for the best one!
Purple and White bows “sold” to main street businesses. For different levels of
sponsorship they were given a specific color bow (purple bows given to all sponsors who
gave $1000+, white bows to sponsors who have less than $1000) to hang in their store
windows during the designated Paint it Purple event
Invite businesses to sell Suns & Moons and/or Relay Feet and display in their store
Work with the store to create incentives for those who come in wearing purple – for
example 10% off their next visit coupon or free candy bar with information on your
event’s Relay For Life attached
Ask employees to wear purple on a specific day
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Paint It Purple Ideas
Paint Your Home Purple
•
•
•
•
•
Display a purple yard sign in your front yard.
Decorate your front entrance, your fence, or your door with purple balloons.
Paint your porch light purple or insert a purple bulb.
Tie purple ribbons around trees in your neighborhood.
Wear purple clothing or encourage all past Relay For Life volunteers to wear their Relay
shirts on one day around town.
Paint the Town/Campus
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Decorate your home or store windows with a purple display.
Encourage town leaders' involvement by:
o asking them to allow you to paint giant stars and moons on main street or
o suggesting the department of public works fill town planters with shades
of purple flowers
o displaying Relay For Life flags on telephone and light poles on main street
Hold a Main Street contest for the Best Purple Window display.
Encourage businesses and stores to sell Relay For
Life “Sun and Moon” or “Feet” cards.
Display a purple yard sign in your front yard.
Use the ACS Stage Wrap to cover your garbage
cans with Relay Logos
Turn your town landmarks purple.
Create a mock Relay For Life campsite in your
town square and use as a basis to solicit media
coverage.
Decorate the exterior of your City Hall purple
and encourage City Hall employees to all wear
Purple
Invite police, firefighters, and key club students,
all wearing purple, to take turns standing at
main intersections of town collecting donations.
Hang "Power of Purple" banners over main roads into town.
Ask the Mayor to paint a purple stripe down their main street
Request an official proclamation announcing your Paint It Purple day (often May 1) as
the official kick off to the Relay For Life season.
Team captains and committee members wore purple and "Ask Me About Relay" buttons
to promote their event.
Offer Purple luminaria bags--only for sale DURING paint the town purple week.
Encourage people to get their luminaria early for display at the event. Invite those who
secure luminaria that week to the event with a formal invitation after your Paint It
Purple week.
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Paint the Office
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Wear purple clothing, wrist band, or lapel ribbon.
Decorate your office or cubicle with purple balloons, purple streamers, and other purple
items.
Hold a contest for the Best Decorated Cubicle.
Order a purple flower arrangement for your office reception area.
Place purple static clings in your office windows.
Leave a Relay For Life message on your office voicemail.
Create a Relay For Life email signature.
One insurance company decorated their cafeteria purple and served purple food.
Designate one department to be responsible for making purple decorations available to
employees.
Create a purple company newsletter.
Buy purple wrist bands to give out to your employees.
Paint the Restaurant
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Get purple uniforms for your crew
Wear purple wrist bands or purple lapel ribbons.
Create a purple drink or a purple dish for the night.
Display purple votive candles and put your patrons in a purple mood.
Order a purple flower arrangement for your reception area or your tables.
Display purple decorations in your windows.
Buy purple wrist bands to give out to your patrons.
Change your tablecloths to purple.
Turn your menus purple.
Create a purple percentage night where a portion of the proceeds go towards Relay For
Life in your community
Create a purple raffle bowl; the prize is an exclusive meal for two at the restaurant;
or have your head chef make a meal at the winner's home.
Paint the Hospital
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Wear purple scrubs.
Wear a purple wrist band or purple lapel ribbon.
Decorate your office with purple balloons, streamers, or other items.
Order a purple flower arrangement for your reception area.
Place purple decorations in windows.
Display a Relay For Life poster.
Buy purple wrist bands to give out to your patients.
Give purple lollipops or candy to little ones under your care.
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Paint the School
Ideas for Students:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Distribute and post Paint the Town Purple promotional resources throughout the school.
Wear purple clothing/pajamas.
Place a purple product in your lunch box (ex. grapes)
Create purple window decorations and display them in your school windows.
Write your school notes in purple ink
Wear our purple wrist bands and share them with friends.
Place our Relay For Life purple badge on your blog or site.
Display Relay For Life posters in your school.
Decorate your school hallways with purple balloons.
Decorate your school yard with purple chalk artwork.
Hold a contest for the Funkiest Purple Dresser.
Create a mock Relay For Life campsite on school grounds.
Get your high school principal to turn purple for the day!
One Middle School made purple paintbrushes out of pencils
and cotton balls. The school also had banners up that asked
the students to wear purple on May 1, the school's official May Day.
Ideas for School Administration:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Distribute and post Paint the Town Purple promotional resources throughout your
school.
Purchase purple wrist bands and give them out to students
Relay For Life and Paint the School Purple activities part of your school’s community
service program.
Place information about Paint the School Purple on your school’s website.
Place the Relay For Life badge on the school’s website.
Include information about Paint the School Purple in your school bulletin.
Paint Your Online Social Networks Purple
•
•
•
•
Get your social network (ex: Facebook, My Space, Twitter) involved with spreading the
word by posting status updates throughout the day or week to share Paint It Purple
events/activities happening in your area
Use these online communities to recognize those who are participating in the Paint It
Purple event with personal messages, pictures (don’t forget to “tag” those who are
pictured), and even video messages
Many people are connected to their online social network on their cell phone, so utilize
this resource to share successes during the Paint It Purple day or week through these
networks (ex: Awesome work on the Relay For Life of [event name]’s Paint It Purple
event! Welcome to our five new teams that joined our event during this past week)
Profile pictures give you a valuable piece of online real estate. Use this space to spread
the spirit of Relay by changing your Profile Picture to advertise Relay For Life. Download
the Relay For Life logo on www.relayforlife.org.
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ForLife.org
Appendix
Idea & Follow Up Tracking Form
Businesses To Follow Up
Potential Contact
Responsible
Deadline
Outcome
Responsible
Deadline
Outcome
Responsible
Deadline
Outcome
Deadline
Outcome
Churches To Follow Up
Potential Contact
Schools To Follow Up
Potential Contact
Movers & Shakers To Follow Up
Potential Contact
Responsible
How/Who Will We Follow Up With Interested Teams? Sponsors?
How/Who Will Follow Up To Invite Interested Individuals?
Paint It Purple Goals
Recruit ____________ Teams
Raise $__________________
Recruit ____________ Survivors
Engage ______________ Businesses
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Sample Press Release – Paint The Town Purple
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Name
American Cancer Society
Phone: (XXX) XXX-XXXX
Email:
American Cancer Society to “Paint the Town Purple” in
Celebration of Relay For Life of (EVENT NAME)
(CITY, STATE) -- (DATE) – The American Cancer Society will “Paint the Town Purple” in celebration of its annual Relay
For Life event. On DAY, DATE, Relay For Life volunteers will be contacting area groups, churches, and businesses to
encourage community members to form teams for the Relay For Life of COMMUNITY. This is the community’s opportunity
to join the American Cancer Society’s signature fundraising event.
INCLUDE INFO HERE RE: POSSIBLE INCENTIVES TO SIGN UP A TEAM.
Additionally, businesses and residents can show their support in the fight against cancer by ordering a purple bow to
place on their property. The bows are available for a suggested donation of $10 and all proceeds will benefit the work of the
American Cancer to save lives from cancer by helping people stay well and get well, by finding cures, and by fighting back.
This year’s Relay For Life of (EVENT NAME) will be held at (LOCATION) on (DATE) at (TIME). Relay brings
together friends, families, businesses, hospitals, schools, faith-based groups - people from all walks of life - all aimed at
celebrating the lives of those who have had cancer, remembering those lost, and fighting back against the disease. Relay For
Life events are held as individuals and teams gather at an athletic track, park or other gathering area, with the goal of keeping
at least one team member on the track or pathway at all times throughout the evening. Teams do most of their fundraising
prior to the event, but some teams also hold creative fundraisers at their Relay.
For more information on Relay For Life or to order your purple bow, please contact (NAME) at (PHONE) or
(EMAIL).
The American Cancer Society combines an unyielding passion with nearly a century of experience to save lives and
end suffering from cancer. As a global grassroots force of more than three million volunteers, we fight for every birthday
threatened by every cancer in every community. We save lives by helping people stay well by preventing cancer or detecting
it early; by helping people get well by being there for them during and after a cancer diagnosis; by finding cures through
investment in groundbreaking discovery; and by fighting back by rallying lawmakers to pass laws to defeat cancer and by
rallying communities worldwide to join the fight. As the nation’s largest non-governmental investor in cancer research,
contributing about $3.4 billion, we turn what we know about cancer into what we do. As a result, more than 11 million people
in America who have had cancer and countless more who have avoided it will be celebrating birthdays this year. To learn
more about us or to get help, call us anytime, day or night, at 1-800-227-2345 or visit cancer.org.
###
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Sample Press Release – Paint The Campus Purple
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Name
American Cancer Society
Phone: (XXX) XXX-XXXX
Email:
American Cancer Society to “Paint the Campus Purple” in
Celebration of Relay For Life of (EVENT NAME)
(CITY, STATE) -- (DATE) – The American Cancer Society will “Paint the Campus Purple” in celebration of its annual Relay
For Life event. On DAY, DATE, Relay For Life volunteers will be contacting student organizations and groups to encourage
members to form teams for the Relay For Life of EVENT NAME. This is the community’s opportunity to join the American
Cancer Society’s signature fundraising event.
INCLUDE INFO HERE RE: POSSIBLE INCENTIVES TO SIGN UP A TEAM.
Additionally, students, faculty and staff can show their support in the fight against cancer by ordering a purple bow to
place on their doors or buildings. The bows are available for a suggested donation of $10 and all proceeds will benefit the work
of the American Cancer to save lives from cancer by helping people stay well and get well, by finding cures, and by fighting
back.
This year’s Relay For Life of (EVENT NAME) will be held at (LOCATION) on (DATE) at (TIME). Relay brings
together friends, families, businesses, hospitals, schools, faith-based groups - people from all walks of life - all aimed at
celebrating the lives of those who have had cancer, remembering those lost, and fighting back against the disease. Relay For
Life events are held as individuals and teams gather at an athletic track, park or other gathering area, with the goal of keeping at
least one team member on the track or pathway at all times throughout the evening. Teams do most of their fundraising prior to
the event, but some teams also hold creative fundraisers at their Relay.
For more information on Relay For Life or to order your purple bow, please contact (NAME) at (PHONE) or
(EMAIL).
The American Cancer Society combines an unyielding passion with nearly a century of experience to save lives and
end suffering from cancer. As a global grassroots force of more than three million volunteers, we fight for every birthday
threatened by every cancer in every community. We save lives by helping people stay well by preventing cancer or detecting it
early; by helping people get well by being there for them during and after a cancer diagnosis; by finding cures through
investment in groundbreaking discovery; and by fighting back by rallying lawmakers to pass laws to defeat cancer and by
rallying communities worldwide to join the fight. As the nation’s largest non-governmental investor in cancer research,
contributing about $3.4 billion, we turn what we know about cancer into what we do. As a result, more than 11 million people in
America who have had cancer and countless more who have avoided it will be celebrating birthdays this year. To learn more
about us or to get help, call us anytime, day or night, at 1-800-227-2345 or visit cancer.org.
###
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Paint The Campus Purple Sample Flyer
Also available for Paint The Town Purple at www.mwrfl.org
Sample Bow Flyer
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Sample Placemats
Other Promotional Materials
(available from your staff partner)
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
E.
F.
G.
H.
D.
A.
B.
C.
Two Sided Sponsor Window Cling – Relay Gear - $.99 each
Thunder Sticks – Turnkey - $1.25 per pair
Recruitment Water Bottle – Turnkey - $1.55 each
Purple Bucket with Coin Slot – Relay Gear - $3.05 each
F.
G.
H.
Stage Wrap – ACS Warehouse - $55 per roll of 300 feet
Pennant String – ACS Warehouse - $14.89 per roll of 100 feet
Relay Feet – ACS Warehouse $1.95 for a pack of 50
Ask Me About Relay Button – 8.75 for pack of 25
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